Like A Stranger
by courtney-in-the-tardis
Summary: Doctor Who AU in which the Doctor represses Donna's Time Lord mind and she continues to travel with him. When the Doctor obtains a serious head injury, he suffers from amnesia. Now, it's up to Donna and a few other familiar faces to help the Doctor find himself again. A story that will test Donna's limits and will show just how far she's willing to go to get her best friend back.
1. Forget Me Not

He had once told her that living in the TARDIS was a funny old life, and until today she hadn't really taken his words into consideration. Looking down at the Doctor's sleeping form she couldn't help but agree with him. The way Donna saw it, life was all about giving and taking; it either did one or the other. Right now life was giving her the latter.

Placing her hand on top of the Doctor's she lightly rubbed her thumb under his palm. He'd been unconscious for hours and it was really starting to worry her. They'd been visiting a planet called Vlexar earlier that day, and of course the Doctor landed them in the wrong year and smack dab in the middle of a war. But, the Doctor, being the Doctor, couldn't just leave until he tried to help them achieve peace. They'd went to meet with those in charge of the opposing sides and Donna thought it was going quite well until fighting started breaking out again amongst the troops. Before they knew it, laser beams and bombs clashed around them and Donna had gotten separated from the Doctor.

She shivered as she recalled the memory of the Doctor desperately calling out her name over the chaos. The dust was so thick and she was certain she still had residue in her throat and lungs and the air around her had been so dry. She couldn't help removing her hand from the Doctor's to rub her throat. She could definitely use some water. She felt guilt wash over herself as she got up out of the armchair next to the bed to leave the room. Taking one last glance behind her she decided that he would be fine on his own for just a few minutes; he didn't look close to stirring.

She walked downstairs and almost collided with Wilf as she entered the kitchen. She felt water slosh over the front of her blouse and realized that her grandad had been on his way upstairs with water for her and the Doctor. She gave the older man a crooked smile and walked past him to retrieve a cloth to clean up the mess with. She was overjoyed that her mother hadn't been home when she showed up on their doorstep with the Doctor slumped against her.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" Wilf asked her, offering her a seat at the kitchen table.

She eyed the offering for a moment, not wanting to get too comfy as she needed to get back to the Doctor. But looking at her grandad's worried face she relented and sat next to him.

"Well, it's like I told you before, the Doctor and I were at Vlexar," she began, "and there was a war going on. We tried to stop it Gramps, but no one wanted to listen. They were all too caught up in their hatred for each other. The Doctor and I were running for our lives and before I knew what was happening I lost grip of the Doctor's hand. I searched for him for what felt like years. When I finally caught sight of him I was so happy that I could have cried; but then I saw his face. He looked so scared, I'd never seen him look so terrified before. Suddenly he was running at me at full speed and before I could ask him what he was doing he dragged me by the arm and started running."

"What did he see?" Wilf asked; perplexed.

"Some sort of bomb had been thrown my way. I'm guessing it had a slight delay because we got a somewhat decent distance away before it went off."

"Oh my stars," Wilf's eyes became misty, "what happened next?"

"Well, in the last few seconds before the bomb went off he practically threw me as far out of the way as he could. Then the bomb went off and everything became silent. If it weren't for the ringing in my head that went along with the silence I'd had thought I had died. As soon as I got my bearings I stumbled about to look for the Doctor."

"That explains the cuts and bruises," Wilf observed, looking at his granddaughter up and down.

"There was so much dust in the air I could barely see or breathe. It was horrible, but it didn't hit me how bad this whole situation was until I found the Doctor's body. He'd obviously been slammed against a mountain side during the blast. I'm not a medical professional but I looked him over quickly before trying to move him. His minor cuts and bruises I'm not concerned about. It's that gash on his head and large lump in the back that I'm worried about. I'm forcing him to go to Martha as soon as he wakes up."

"He's not going to like that," Wilf laughed.

She allowed herself to genuinely smile for the first time since they'd left the TARDIS earlier that morning. "Well, he's going to have to get over it. He needs a doctor. I'd have taken him to Martha first thing but my TARDIS driving skills are pretty limited."

"You lost that, then?"

Donna knew what he was referring to. She had been without her memories for about four months when the Doctor had discovered a way to recover her mind from the metacrisis. He hadn't been able to remove the Time Lord part of her completely but he did repress it quite a bit. The only skill she had been left with was an extension on her already higher than average math abilities. All that other Time Lord knowledge, like TARDIS flight, had been removed in order to save her life.

"Yeah," she answered ruefully.

Wilf took Donna's hands in his, "Hey, you'll learn to fly her again. And this time you'll learn to do it without the Time Lord brain."

She smiled, "Sure I will, Gramps. Now come on, we'd better get back upstairs and see how Martian Boy is doing. I'm really worried about him."

As she got up she winced.

"How'd you manage to carry him all that time?"

She sighed, "It wasn't easy, but I managed," she walked ahead of him on the stairway, "he may be a skinny alien but he's a heavy, skinny alien."

She felt relieved to see that he hadn't awoken in her absence. Crossing the room in a swift motion she took her seat back by his side and scooped up his hand again. She frowned as she noticed his hand was warmer than usual. Letting go of his hand again she leaned forward and felt of his forehead; it was also warmer than usual.

"Everything alright, sweetheart?" Wilf asked, concern evident in his voice.

She shook her head slowly, "No, I don't think it is. Gramps, I think I should have taken him to Martha in the first place. I'm sure I could've figured out how to get to her if I'd tried hard enough. I was just so tired from carrying him and this felt like the only solution at the moment," she knew she was babbling. Panic coursed through her and she suddenly felt a pair of hands around her shoulders.

"Hey now," Wilf shushed, "it's alright. You did what you thought was best. It's what I'd have done! Come on, you did good. He'd be proud of you."

Looking at the Doctor in concern she made a quick decision, "Gramps, in the console room of the TARDIS there is a mobile phone. I think I left it on the jump seat. I want you to use it to call Martha, she should be on the recently called list. Tell her what's happened and that we need to bring the Doctor to her right away. I'm going to get him to the car and we're going to get him checked out. I'm too worried to wait for him to wake up."

Wilf looked as though he might protest but he instead nodded in response and left her to retrieve the mobile from the TARDIS. Focusing her attention back to the sleeping Time Lord she felt her heart drop into her stomach through the panic. What if he died? She thought back to those four months that she had forgotten his existence and shuddered. Never again. She couldn't lose him again.

Mustering all of her strength she wrapped one arm around his back and another around his front and tugged. Her own back was killing her from all of the carrying she had done that day but she ignored it to continue her mission. She wasn't sure how she had managed to carry him all the way downstairs and almost all the way to the car but she didn't quite care at this point. Spotting her grandfather walking out of the TARDIS she called out for him to come and help her the rest of the way. They placed him in the backseat as gently as possible and pulled out onto the road and on their way to Martha.

"She gave me this address," Wilf told her as Donna looked in her mirror to check on the Doctor.

"Thanks Gramps," she answered, taking the piece of paper from him and reading it. UNIT, she should have known.

The ride to UNIT was quiet and Donna cursed herself the whole trip. How could she have been so thick? She should've tried taking him to Martha in the first place. She could see her grandad giving her a look out of the corner of her eye. She knew that he knew what she was thinking and she couldn't face his caring eyes right now. No, right now she needed to be angry with herself.

Pulling into UNIT she raced the car to where she saw Martha stand. She'd changed her hair since the last time she'd seen her. She also had a glow of happiness about her. No doubt from her new relationship with Mickey. Quickly scrambling out of the car Donna hugged Martha. Martha held Donna at arms-length and looked at her as if she thought she would never see her again. Then Donna realized that, that is exactly what Martha thought.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Martha said with a smile, "how is he?"

Donna looked behind her at the Doctor's faced leaned against the glass in the car, "Not good, I'm guessing Gramps told you what happened?"

"Yeah, let's get him inside," she answered. Two large men came out of the building and carried the Doctor inside. Donna was grateful that she wouldn't have to carry him again. Her back was killing her. The room that they examined the Doctor in was bright and harsh. It made Donna cringe. After taking a few scans of his brain they allowed Donna to sit with the Doctor. Every time she touched his skin she felt her stomach drop because it didn't feel right.

"Donna," Martha called to her timidly from behind, "I've looked at the scans."

Donna swallowed hard, "It's not good is it?"

"I'm afraid not," she dragged a chair to sit closer to Donna and the Doctor. Donna noticed that Martha put her hand on the Doctor's knee and rubbed small circles with her thumb. She assumed Martha needed some sort of contact with the Doctor at this point. She braced herself.

"He's suffered a concussion. It's not the worst I've seen but it's certainly not as mild as I would like it to be. I'm not sure how long he'll be like this," she motioned to his motionless form, "but I'm afraid it's a waiting game at this point."

Donna let tears fall for the first time that day. How long was he going to be comatose? A few days? Weeks? Years? She had no way of knowing. She looked away from the Doctor's face to see that Martha was crying too. The two women hugged and cried for a while. Neither said much. When it began to get late Martha offered to drive Wilf home. Donna refused to leave the Doctor's side and told Martha to go home and get some sleep.

Settling in for the night Donna pulled her chair close to the Doctor's side. Though it was uncomfortable she eventually fell asleep leaned against his side. She dreamt of dust and bombs. The Doctor's voice echoed through her mind and it caused her to awaken abruptly calling his name. She gasped for air and grabbed her head in fear as she took in her surroundings. Looking down at him she saw that he was still sleeping. She sighed and buried her face in her hands. She wasn't sure how long she'd been doing so because when she looked up again two brown eyes were staring back at her.

Her hand flew to her chest as she gasped, "You're awake! I can't believe it!"

She gathered him in her arms and hugged him tightly. She was somewhat afraid that her grasp might be too tight but she wasn't ready to let go. However, she began to notice he wasn't hugging her back, which was odd. The Doctor was a very affectionate alien. Donna liked to compare him to a puppy, which the Doctor acted like he hated but secretly loved, because he knew it was true. He just loved people. Releasing her hold on him she hovered above him.

"You know, you gave me quite the scare, Doctor," she informed him as he continued to stare at her. His staring was making her quite uncomfortable and it made her shift slightly in discomfort. She experimentally laid the back of her hand to his forehead. It wasn't as hot as it was earlier but still too high for a Time Lord. She noticed he was looking at her hand quite intensely. "Doctor, are you alright?"

Squirming out of her touch he shook his head, "Why do you keep calling me that?"

She snatched her hand back and looked at him with equal amount of confusion, "Calling you what?"

"Doctor. Why are you calling me, Doctor?"

She looked at him as if he'd gone mad, "Cause', that's your name."

"Is it?" he asked. He looked like a deer in headlights.

"Yes," she answered, "Doctor, you don't remember your name?"

He shook his head no, "Where am I?"

She began to answer him when he interrupted her.

"And who are you?"

Tears pricked her eyes, "I definitely need to call Martha."


	2. Fear

_Squirming out of her touch he shook his head, "Why do you keep calling me that?"_

 _She snatched her hand back and looked at him with equal amount of confusion, "Calling you what?"_

" _Doctor. Why are you calling me, Doctor?"_

 _She looked at him as if he'd gone mad, "Cause', that's your name."_

" _Is it?" he asked. He looked like a deer in headlights._

" _Yes," she answered, "Doctor, you don't remember your name?"_

 _He shook his head no, "Where am I?"_

 _She began to answer him when he interrupted her._

" _And who are you?"_

 _Tears pricked her eyes, "I definitely need to call Martha."_

* * *

"Martha, I know it's late, I'm sorry," she spluttered, holding the phone close to her ear, "but I need you to get down here. He's awake."

She waited for Martha's excited list of questions to stop before she continued.

"Martha, something is definitely wrong with him. I think the accident's messed with his head something bad. He doesn't know who he is or who I am," she informed the other woman, looking over her shoulder at the confused Time Lord. Donna didn't know what to do. Sure, she had been on the receiving end of a mind wipe but when the Doctor fixed the metacrisis all of her memories returned to her. This wasn't a metacrisis and she wasn't a Time Lord; she was just the human companion.

"What do I do until you get here?" she asked Martha, desperate for guidance.

"Just talk to him, see if you can trigger any sort of memory," she heard Martha say in return, "I'll be there as quick as I can."

Shoving the mobile back in her pocket she eyed the Doctor and he eyed her back. He looked at her as if he didn't know what to make of her. She felt shy suddenly; she never felt shy around the Doctor. Biting the inside of her cheek nervously she walked back over to his bedside and sat down. She wanted to tell him who he was, what he did for people, what he meant to her; but she didn't want to overwhelm him. So she started with something simple.

"Doctor," she began, "how is your head?"

"Um, it could be better," he answered honestly, "it's pounding."

She shook her head, "Yeah, after what you went through yesterday that's understandable."

Confusion crossed his features, "Um, miss…"

"Why'd you say miss? Does everyone just assume I'm single?" she asked bitterly but regretted it when he winced at her tone.

"No, my apologies, of course not," he answered quickly, "wait, are you my wife or something?"

"I'm sorry, your what?" she deadpanned.

"Well, I'm obviously sick," he gestured to his head wound, "and when I woke up you were at my bedside. I just assumed you were maybe my wife or something?"

She wanted to laugh at the irony of it all, but she held it back. Sadness took over her and she had to stop herself from taking his hand again. He looked so lost. "You really don't remember me, do you?"

He shook his head, "I'm sorry."

She tried to give him a comforting smile, "It's not your fault. I'm Donna, Donna Noble. And no, I'm not your wife, I'm your companion."

"Companion?" he questioned, arching an eyebrow, "So, like a life partner, then?"

She shrugged, "Well, if you'd like. Strictly platonic though, we're just mates. We made that decision early on."

"You make it sound like a business arrangement. Who needs a contract to be friends?" he asked, clearly confused by her.

She rolled her eyes; even when he wasn't himself he was utterly impossible, "It's not like we signed a document, Doctor. We just agreed before we started traveling together we'd keep things on the up and up. No nonsense."

"And another thing," he added, sitting up, "why do you keep calling me, Doctor? I mean, that's not a proper name. Who's called Doctor?"

"I don't know," she admitted, feeling a bit exasperated, "it's what you tell everyone to call you. You never reveal your real name."

"So, you're telling me that you and I are best mates, who travel together, and you don't know my real name? That sounds awfully suspicious to me."

"Oi, don't take that tone with me Sunshine!" she fumed at him, "I have been watching over you for the past 24 hours, holding your bloody hand, fluffing your stupid pillows, and hoping every minute that you'll open your eyes and be okay!" Her eyes began to water again, "So, you don't get to sit there and accuse me like that."

She saw that he looked conflicted. His hand inched a little closer to hers on the bed but he pulled back at the last minute. If anything he looked more scared than before. She hated herself for getting so angry at him. It wasn't his fault after all. He'd never purposely forget her. And to be perfectly honest when he put their relationship in a box like that, it had sounded rather odd, even to her. Funny old life in the TARDIS, indeed.

She sighed, "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I know you're confused right now and I'm not making it any better."

"No, it's alright," he answered her, "I understand that you're probably just as frustrated as I am. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. You're obviously concerned for my well-being or you wouldn't be here."

"I'm terrified," she admitted.

Obviously feeling uncomfortable with Donna's admission he changed the subject, "So, I never gave you the chance to answer me earlier. Where are we exactly? I mean, it sort of looks like a hospital room but it doesn't at the same time."

"Oh, yes," trying to brush off the abrupt subject change, "we're at UNIT. Our other friend Martha, she used to travel with you, is an employee here. She's a medical doctor. When you didn't seem to be getting any better after the accident I brought you here to her."

"Another companion I take it?" he asked her.

Donna shook her head, "Yeah, for a while. You met her after I turned down your offer the first time."

"I asked you to travel with me and you said no?"

She wanted to have this discussion with him but at the same time she didn't want to get too heavy too quick. Instead, she ignored him and asked a different question.

"Doctor, what does the word screwdriver mean to you?"

He seemed to think about it for a moment, "Um, cabinet? I don't know."

"How about the TARDIS?"

"Is that even a proper word?"

"Gallifrey?"

He shook his head, "Never heard of it? Is it in Scotland?"

"Bananas," she quipped hopefully.

"Fruit?"

"Rose Tyler?"

"Do I know her?"

"Martha Jones. Think, what do you know about Martha Jones?"

"Is that the woman you were just talking about? My doctor?"

She closed her eyes in defeat, "Dig deep, Doctor. What does Donna Noble mean to you?" She felt hopeful as the words left her mouth but when his expression remained blank it broke her heart.

He looked almost apologetic, "She's my strictly platonic travelling companion?"

"Well, he's not wrong," both of their heads shot up to see Martha enter the room; clad in pyjamas.

"Comfy are we?" Donna couldn't help but joke when she saw her friend approach them.

"Very," she smirked. "So, how are we feeling, Doctor? Miserable, I'd imagine."

"Head smarts a bit, yes. As does the rest of my body."

"After what you went through yesterday that's not surprising," she informed him while pulling out her stethoscope.

"What did happen to me?"

Martha shot Donna a look as to say, _'You haven't told him.'_

"Don't look at me like that," Donna said, "you try breaking that sort of news to a man who has no idea who he is."

"Would one of you please tell me what's going on?!" He asked both of them but his eyes settled on Donna.

"It's all my fault," Donna said sadly, "you were too concerned about getting me to safety that you put yourself in harm's way. I lost you in a crowd of chaos. Then, like an idiot, I stood in the way of a bombing. When you found me you practically threw me out of the way."

The Doctor remained silent.

"There we are," Martha said cheerfully, buttoning his dress shirt back up and taking the stethoscope out of her ears, "both hearts functioning normally. That's a good sign."

The Doctor spoke, "I'm sorry, both hearts?"

Realization dawned on Donna, "He doesn't know he's not human."

"What do you mean I'm not human?" he asked. He quickly flung himself out of bed and clumsily made his way over to the closest mirror. He ran his hands over his face and neck and through his hair. "Look at me," the Doctor said as he turned back around to face them, "I'm human. I look just like the two of you. No green skin or big eyes or tentacles."

"Not all aliens look like they would in a sci-fi film, Doctor. You know that," Martha stated matter-of-factly.

He looked at her as if she were mad, "Are you sure you're a qualified medical doctor? Aliens aren't real!"

"Doctor," Donna's eyes narrowed at him seriously, "aliens are real. You're an alien! When I say we travel together I don't mean to Egypt or China, I mean we travel through time and space."

"You're both mad!" he shouted. "This is one of those government facilities where they investigate alien life isn't it? You're both experimenting on me! Have you wiped my mind?! Is that what's going on?"

"Doctor," Donna huffed, "you're being ridiculous! We would never do that to you! We're your friends, we want you to get better."

"Stay away from me!" he warned.

She felt a stab of hurt in her chest. The metal of the stethoscope glinted under the harsh lights and she had a sudden idea. Picking it up, she slowly approached him. He backed away from her at first but stopped when she held it out to him.

"Listen for yourself," she proceeded.

She was afraid he wouldn't take it from her but released a relieved breath when he snatched it from her grasp. Their hands slightly brushed but he acted as if the touch burned him. He placed the earbuds in place and listened carefully around his entire chest. He looked completely stunned. Donna bit back the need to say _, 'I told you so'._

He tore the stethoscope away from his ears and tossed it to the ground. He looked absolutely terrified. His mouth opened and closed multiple times and he paced in a small circle mumbling to himself. Donna approached him from behind and placed a comforting hand on his back. He turned around and locked eyes with her like a frightened animal.

"No, no, no," he said, shaking his head at her, "this isn't real. You've messed with my head. Just stay away from me. Both of you!" Before Donna could stop him he ran at full speed out of the room farther into UNIT's main building.


	3. A Harkness Encounter

The pain in his head was almost blinding; the fact that he was running about like a wild person definitely wasn't helping the matter. Pure panic surged through his entire body and every time he turned a corner the area looked the same. Not having any luck finding an exit he stopped in the middle of a hallway to collect his thoughts. The problem was, there were no thoughts to collect. Everything in his mind was black; sans the encounter with Martha and Donna.

He felt frightened and alone and he had no clue where to turn to next. A small part of him considered returning to the two women and sorting this whole thing out, but a larger part of him was telling him to run. Deciding to give the search for an exit another go he poked his head around the corner to make sure he had not been followed. He began to run down another corridor when he almost collided with another man.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the man said in an American accent, "where's the fire, friend?"

"I have to get out of here," the Doctor said franticly, "this is all some sort of misunderstanding. I'm not what you lot think I am. I'm a normal, human being. Please, you have to get me out of here."

The American man looked all around the Doctor and down the connecting hallways before motioning him forward. "Follow me," he told him in a hushed voice.

The Doctor knew trusting him was probably a long shot, but who else did he have to trust? He followed the man down a few more twisting hallways until finally they approached a door. The American man checked over his shoulders for any followers before punching in a long code and scanning a fingerprint. If they hadn't been in such a dire situation, the Doctor might have paused to ask him about the technology. The thought made the Doctor wonder, _'Do I enjoy technology?'_

"You have to go through this way," the man told him. The Doctor followed obediently, because again, he didn't have much of a choice. Upon entering the doorway he saw that it was a closed room. He glared at the man who had betrayed him and turned on his heel to escape but the door slammed behind him.

"Should have known you were tricking me," the Doctor said venomously.

"Then why did you follow me?" the American asked.

"Because I've been wandering these halls for ages? Because I don't have anyone else to trust?" He answered bitterly. _'Because for some reason, something told me I should?'_ he added in his head.

"Look, Doc, I don't wanna hurt you," he informed him.

"Doc? As in Doctor? Further proof you're in collaboration with those two women who prodded my head."

"Donna and Martha didn't take your memories, Doctor."

"Aren't the three of you a cozy little group?"

The man ignored his sneering tone and held out his hand, "I'm Captain Jack Harkness. But, you usually just refer to me ask Jack."

The Doctor looked at his hand but didn't take it, "Oh, are we normally on first name basis?"

"Amnesia or not I see that you haven't lost your sarcastic charm," Jack said winking at him.

The Doctor squirmed, "Are you flirting with me?"

The man just smiled and reached into his inside coat pocket to reveal a folded manila folder.

"Here," Jack said, holding out the folder to the Doctor.

He eyed it, "What's that?"

"It's you."

"How can a folder be me?"

"You've been on UNIT's payroll for years; this is your personal file. Obviously it doesn't contain your extensive life history but it does cover the TARDIS, touches of information on your race, your documented work for UNIT, and your companions."

Taking the document from Jack's hand the Doctor felt his head swim. Jack pointed to a table and chair located on the other side of the room. Though the Doctor still far from trusted him, he couldn't pass up a chance to sit down. He ran a hand over the outside of the folder before opening it. This could either be the truth or the biggest amount of rubbish he's ever read in his life.

First he read about his people. It all seemed like something out of a sci-fi film; a planet called Gallifrey with an academy for Time Lords. He wanted to chalk it up to nonsense but then he recalled that Donna had asked him what the word Gallifrey meant to him.

Then he read about regenerations. That he thought, had to be complete and total malarkey. According to his file he was in his Tenth regeneration. Skipping past some of those details he moved on to the TARDIS; which again, Donna had mentioned. He didn't want to admit it but he felt especially intrigued reading about the sentient time/space ship. It definitely seemed too good to be true.

He found that he didn't really want to read any of the UNIT documentation and instead jumped ahead to the section on companions. He saw a bunch of names he did not recognize, but then began seeing some names he did: Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, and Donna Noble. Alongside the names were photos. No flicker of memories hit him when he saw the blonde girl, but of course he recognized Martha, Jack, and Donna. He gathered from his conversation with Donna earlier, that if in fact this were all true, she was his only permanent companion. He decided to read her bio:

" **Donna Evelyn Noble. Age 36. Daughter of Sylvia Noble and Geoff Noble (d.). Grandfather: Wilfred Mott, Grandmother (d.). Former occupation: Secretary/Temp. Current status: Travelling companion to the Doctor."**

"Sooooo," Jack sang as he approached the Doctor from behind, "what are we thinking in that big, Time Lord brain, Doctor?"

"That you people," he paused to look up at Jack, "are completely mad. There's no way I can be this man. This kind of man just cannot exist."

"But you do," Jack challenged, sitting across from him.

"A nine hundred year old alien who travels in a blue box that's bigger on the inside with a pretty human companion? Come on," he said dismissively.

"Doctor, I'm blushing," Jack saucily replied.

"Can't you see? Things like this aren't real life. This is the kind of thing you'd see on the telly."

"But what if it were real?"

"It's not."

"But what if you're wrong?"

"I'm not!"

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?"

The Doctor glared at him in return.

"I just have one thing to ask you, Doctor."

The Doctor crossed his arms nonchalantly, "Ask away, Captain Harkness. It's not like I would know the answer anyway."

"If Donna and Martha had planned on experimenting on you and then just throwing you away, why go to all this trouble to convince you of this life," he held up the file, "why take photos and create numerous, well detailed stories if they wanted to poke around in your head and set you back into the wild?"

The Doctor remained silent; considering Jack's words.

"Those two women out there care about you. I care about you. We just want you to get back to yourself as quickly as possible."

"I'm just having a hard time believing it," the Doctor answered; his voice soft.

"Well, believe it. I'm worried about you, but I'm also worried about Donna. She's been so good through all of this. She hasn't left your side for a minute, I've been told. Martha had to practically pry her away from you to get her to eat. I don't want to put too much on you at once but I'm afraid of what's going to happen to her if you don't remember her."

"Would she really be that distraught?"

"You two were just building some trust back. I thought everything was going to be okay again."

"What are you talking about? Why wouldn't I trust her?"

"No, you have it backwards. It's Donna who was learning to trust you again."

"Wait, what did I do?"

Jack studied his hands intensely, "I don't think it's my place to talk about it. It's really something you should discuss with her. That is, if you think you can trust us to help you."

The Doctor thought about it. It all still seemed a bit farfetched to him: the TARDIS, being an alien, being over nine hundred years old. But, he then again remembered that he had literally nothing to lose. Even if this was all a big hoax it's not like he had anywhere or anyone to turn to. He couldn't remember a thing. The possibility of this amazing life being real thrilled him a bit more than he would like to admit. The feeling of guilt in his chest and stomach when Jack mentioned Donna also made him question his earlier doubt of her and Martha. They both did look awfully tired and concerned. Could he have just been overreacting? He wasn't sure.

"Alright," he said hesitantly, "I'll give it a shot. It's not like I have much of a choice at this point anyways."

Jack grinned, "Great."


End file.
